Misplaced Blame
by Goth Albino Angel
Summary: Trapped in a prison cell, Varian sulks in his own loathing of the family that betrayed him and the kingdom that abandoned him. One day, he gets some visitors. Cassandra and Arianna have some very enlightening news for him.


**_Tangled the Series has me all in knots, so I decided I was going to make this. Hope ya like it regardless._**

 ** _I don't own Tangled the Series._**

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Varian glared at the stone of his cell. Rudiger snoozed beside him, completely at ease with his confinement. The silence of the dungeon was the only other companion Varian had.

He couldn't believe his plan had failed. He had thought everything out. The serum for Rudiger, the automatons, the trapdoor, the drill, it was all supposed to work. The problem wasn't them, though. All those things had worked, had served their purpose excellently. He'd gotten the queen, the guards had been dispatched, Rapunzel had been locked away, she and her father had even fallen for his dummy. Everything had been perfect, had worked.

Until the drill. That was where everything fell apart. The princess' hair should have cut through the amber, as both were unbreakable. One of them should have given out, but they had both stayed intact. It made no sense. And now, just as before, all of Corona had turned their backs on him again.

A creak sounded at the end of the hall and Varian perked up in confusion. It wasn't uncommon for him to hear that sound. No guards patrolled his corridor, so the doors were always locked. However, it was too early for dinner and he doubted anyone other than Rapunzel wanted to visit him.

Sitting up, Varian waited for someone to come into view. A minute or two passed before a silhouette appeared in the doorway. Varian followed the shape as the door to his cell opened. He smirked when the person stepped inside and moved closer. The light shining from the tiny window at the top of the cell fell on pitch black hair.

"Well, well, well," the scientist chuckled. "Nice to see you, Cass."

There was a beat of silence before twenty pounds slammed into the side of Varian's head. A shout filled the air as the amateur scientist clutched his face in pain. He glared up from the floor as his visitor cracked her knuckles.

"You don't speak unless spoken to," Cassandra snarled lowly.

"That's some way to treat a friend," Varian grunted, only to receive another punch, this time to the gut.

"Bit hypocritical of you to say that, considering my ribs still haven't forgotten what you did." Cassandra moved back. "Now, shut up."

Varian huffed and rubbed his stomach. "Didn't take you for the talking to prisoners type."

"She's not," a voice called from the doorway. Varian's head snapped up. "If she had her way, she would still be hitting you. Luckily for you, I need you conscious."

"Hello again, Your Majesty," Varian spat. He recoiled when Cassandra's hand violently twitched in his direction.

Queen Arianna blinked calmly at the boy eyeing her warily. "Cassandra." Though nothing else was said, the guard immediately moved out of the cell. She was back moments later with a chair for the queen. Arianna settled on the seat and Cassandra stepped back into the cell.

The three stared one another down before Varian looked away irritably. Cassandra looked to her queen and Arianna nodded. Clearing her throat, the Captain's daughter asked, "So, pipsqueak, what's your deal with Corona?"

"Why do you care?" Varian snapped.

Cassandra growled and reeled back to hit the little nuisance. "Cassandra." At the queen's command, Cassandra immediately relaxed back into her guarded stance.

"Varian," Arianna said quietly. "Considering you sent my daughter and her companions on an expedition to a dangerous area, put the castle in uproar, committed treason, kidnapped me, and tried to kill my family, I believe I have right to know your motives. _All_ of the details, if you please."

Varian looked at the stone beneath him for a moment. He had a chance. This was his chance to show them how badly they had betrayed him, how at fault they were for him even being in this cell. This was a chance to make them feel shame for what they've done.

"I was turned away," Varian huffed, finally beginning to explain. "Rapunzel promised to help me with the rocks, to understand them. When I went to her for help with stopping the amber from encasing my father, she ignored me." Lifting his head, Varian growled, "It's because of her that my father is covered in amber. The only person able to help me turned everyone against me."

The two women raised their eyebrows at him before glancing to one another. "Do you believe that, Your Majesty?" Cassandra inquired, examining one of her daggers.

"Not in the slightest," Arianna replied nonchalantly. "What was stated does not indicate how we, Corona, or Rapunzel are at fault for your predicament."

"What?" Varian stood, his fists clenched. Neither of his visitors so much as flinched. "I just explained it! Rapunzel broke her promise to help me and the guards took me away! She and this kingdom turned their backs on me, and thanks to your abandonment, my father's imprisoned. It's all your fault!"

Everything fell quiet as Varian waited for the two women to respond. His breath came heavy, blue eyes looking between them. Rudiger cowered near the wall, upset that his master was so angry.

Queen Arianna studied the prisoner for several long minutes. Cassandra said nothing, opting to let her leader do the talking. The only sound was Rudiger's whimpering.

Finally, Arianna asked, "Varian, how did your father get overtaken?"

"H-huh?" The alchemist looked to her in puzzlement.

"Well, I'm just a bit confused about the events you're explaining." Emerald eyes bore into the prisoner. "How was your father imprisoned?"

"Th-the rocks!" Varian exclaimed. "Th-the rocks were growing and-and they wouldn't stop!"

"Cassandra, forgive me. My eyesight must be going. What color are the rocks that respond to Rapunzel?"

"Black, Your Majesty," Cassandra responded calmly.

Arianna nodded. "I thought so. And I believe you were with Rapunzel when she discovered Qirin?"

Cassandra kept eye contact with Varian. "Yes. He was encased in amber, Your Majesty."

"You're sure it was _amber_ and not the _black rocks_ that respond to Rapunzel?"

"Positive, Your Majesty."

Varian bit his lip as they both gazed at him. "How interesting," Arianna murmured. "What _happened_ with the rocks to cause your father's imprisonment, Varian?"

"W-well..." He didn't want to admit it, didn't want to say it. He would be playing right into their hands if he did. But there was no way to answer without giving them what they wanted.

Varian gritted his teeth. "W-we were messing around in my lab. I was... running some experiments. The rocks started transforming a-and he tried to protect me..."

"Really?" Arianna asked. "Would these experiments by any chance be on the rocks _themselves?_ "

"That doesn't matter!" Varian shouted.

"But it does," the matriarch cut him off. "Because I distinctly remember being terrified for my life that night you kidnapped me. As I recall, a certain amateur scientist used a serum of his own design to make one of the black rocks turn amber. An amber that encased his father and, without interference, would have encased me as well." Cassandra's fists tightened just slightly.

"I-I-I-I made the serum to destroy the rocks. It was supposed to _destroy_ them, not make them grow. They weren't supposed to encase my father!"

Varian's eyes shut tightly. "It wasn't supposed to happen that way! And when I came for help, I was _ignored!_ Everyone turned their backs on me-!"

"Oh, shut _up!_ " Cassandra broke in this time. "I am so _sick_ of you playing victim! I was _there_ , remember? The day you came running into the castle was the day of the snowstorm, the cursed snowstorm that would have utterly _destroyed_ Corona if not for Rapunzel, Pascal, Xavier, and me activating the Demannitus Device."

Cassandra stalked closer to Varian angrily. "You say that everyone turned their backs on you, but you are quick to forget that you came to the castle expecting Rapunzel, the _princess_ , to drop everything just to help you. You call us selfish, but you wanted her to forget her kingdom to help you with a problem that, _by your own admission_ , you created. You blame Corona for your troubles, but as I remember it, that was the _only_ time you came to the castle to ask for help. _Once!_ "

The handmaiden leaned close to the cowering boy, Varian backing into the wall fearfully. "That snowstorm was going to kill people, had caused people to get hurt, was putting countless lives in danger, _including yours._ The entire island was going to be destroyed, and possibly the kingdom on the mainland, too. But you're intent to blame everyone else because Rapunzel couldn't help you _one time._ " She lifted Varian by the collar of his shirt, glaring into his eyes. "No one turned their back on you, no one betrayed you, and _no one_ broke any promises. You knew where I was, and could have easily sent Rudiger to the castle to deliver a message to me. You could have even sent a message directly to Rapunzel, like you did with the kite. Instead, you were content to plan high treason and _murder_."

Varian gulped as Cassandra snarled, "You have _no one_ but yourself to blame, Varian. The fault is _entirely_ yours."

"No!" Varian shouted, struggling in her grasp. "No it's not! It's not!"

"it _is!_ " Cassandra roared. " _You_ created the amber, _you_ tried to convince Rapunzel away from her duty, and _you_ committed several acts of treason. Deceiving the princess, building the automatons, sending Rudiger, kidnapping and nearly killing the queen... It was _all_ _you_. You have no one to blame but _yourself_."

Cassandra dropped the sobbing alchemist, Varian curling into a ball and whispering, 'no' to himself. It wasn't his fault, it _couldn't_ have been his fault. There had to be someone, someone who had caused this. It couldn't have been him, it just _couldn't!_

Queen Arianna stood. She hadn't wanted to interrupt Cassandra's rant, fearing what bottling that emotion would do to the handmaiden. However, they had spent enough time here, at least for today.

Cassandra immediately moved to her ruler's side. "You refuse to accept it," Arianna sighed, watching Varian speculatively. "But you know it to be true. I daresay, you're lucky to have Rapunzel as a friend. I find it difficult to have pity for someone who attempted to kill me, but she believes in you."

"Her Majesty is right," Cassandra added quietly. "If not for Raps, you'd be the plaything of all the guards. Don't know how lucky that makes you, though." A sly grin slid onto her lips. "She didn't say you couldn't be mine."

"What?" Varian's head snapped, his eyes wavering in fear. "B-b-but the queen said she needed me conscious!"

Arianna turned away. "I don't need you conscious if I'm not present," she stated. "Cassandra can do with you as she wishes until my next visit. The only order I gave her was to keep you alive."

Varian paled at the dark looks being shot in his direction. He had seen Cassandra look scary plenty of times, but the malicious smile on the queen's face terrified him. He truly had incurred her wrath. The scientist curled into a tight ball as the two visitors left his cell.

Once upstairs in one of the castle corridors, the pair thought back to their behavior in the cell. Cassandra knew she wouldn't do anything to really hurt Varian. He had been a good kid, but his anger and hurt had taken him down the wrong path and she just couldn't let that go. She wanted the happy-go-lucky alchemist back, not the ball of rage and unjustified malice he'd become. He had been her friend once, and she wanted him to be her friend again.

Queen Arianna was thinking along a similar vein. Varian may have been at fault for his actions, but she also knew that her husband keeping the rocks quiet was what had pushed the scientist to start experimenting on them. He was a child, and children are naturally inquisitive. It was inevitable that he was going to try something dangerous. She just wished it hadn't led him to this outcome.

As the two of them strode along the hall, Cassandra thought back to how she had acted and flinched. She rubbed her arm turned to her queen. This wasn't the same as when she lost her temper in front of Rapunzel. Queen Arianna rarely saw that side of her and, despite how she had acted in the cell, the queen was a caring, compassionate woman.

With a deep breath, Cassandra stopped and cleared her throat. Arianna paused and turned to her handmaiden expectantly. Thankful she had worn her civilian clothing for this confrontation, Cassandra knelt to one knee.

"Your Majesty, I-I would like to apologize for my behavior in the dungeon." Cassandra sighed. "I'm sorry for letting my anger take hold of me and influence my actions. I will do better to keep my composure the next time you wish to question him."

A hand gently landed on her shoulder and the warrior looked up in confusion. A comforting smiled beamed down at her and Queen Arianna gave a soft laugh. "Cassandra, you've nothing to apologize for. We both got a bit… overzealous down there. It's only natural we would in the face of someone who had attempted to kill us for falsely accused crimes.

"And you were in control of yourself just fine." Arianna stroked the guard's cheek soothingly, helping her stand. "Considering what he did, I'm very proud of you for not indulging your urges. Your father has taught you very well." She placed a kiss to Cassandra's forehead, just as she would Rapunzel. "Don't apologize. You may have some growing to do, but your actions were justified."

Cassandra relaxed slightly. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"It's no trouble." Arianna continued walking. "And remember, you can always talk to me about your… _dreams_." She sent a smile to the handmaiden. "Now, you had best get back to Rapunzel. You know you're her favorite."

"Of course," Cassandra laughed, giving a quick bow before heading off.

Arianna watched her go. As Cassandra disappeared, the queen glanced back to the entrance to the dungeon. She wasn't entirely proud of the way she had acted either, but being nice wasn't going to get through to Varian. She and Cassandra would help him understand where he went wrong… by any means necessary.

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 ** _Don't worry. Varian isn't going to be the only one subjected to this. Frederick needs a talking to as well. But this just needed to be out there. Hope ya liked it. If ya did, great! If ya didn't, cool too!_**


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